I have been a lurker for a while, but I figured I’d jump in with a training log/blog. I just finished up grad school so I have a little more time to devote to training and documenting things. I have been a gymnast since I was about 4, competed through college, and have managed to defy the common notion that grad school and training/exercising do not go together. With school over with now, I can change my workouts from more strength-based to more gymnastics-based. As I get back into the swing of things (pun intended), I’ll try to document things here. You probably won’t understand most of it, just ask if you have questions.
Stats
Age: 25
Height: 5’3”
Weight: ~142# (not too sure, haven’t checked in a while)
BF: low (not sure, never been measured)
Goals
1) Have fun
2) Stay healthy
3) Not really sure beyond the first two...still trying to figure things out
High bar:
- Hop half turns, blind changes, pirouettes, quasts, flyaway - warmup
- Kovacs – caught 1 of 3…tested out the tap and flip on the first two, caught the third; I haven’t done these in a couple months so I was a little weary of my shoulder on the catch
- Wrong-grip endo pirouette (WGEP), stalder, stalder fulls – good sequences, stalder fulls are getting quick and easy
- Half-takamoto work on the low bar – playing around, trying to get used to the feeling…I’ve never been much of a in-bar endo person, so this type of skill is completely new to me
Rings:
- Lock arm giants – good, tight, solid handstand
- Backuprise straddle planche – surprisingly good…never tried swinging to a straddle planche before
- Backuprise planche (no straddle) – again, surprisingly good…never swung to this either
Tramp:
- Ballouts, ballout variations – just trying to get some airsense back, I’ll play more tomorrow
Strength:
- Still rings (SR) - muscle up (5), L, pike press, handstand (HS) hold (10sec), support swings (10)
- Parallel bars (PB) - pike press (3), straddle press (3)
- Leg lifts (12)
- Pullups (10)
- PB dips (30)
- Jump rope (1min x 2)
- HS hold (1min)
Ice: right shoulder (AC joint)
Workout time: 2hrs
I had graduation this past weekend and was on a business trip yesterday, so I was eating out all weekend and I definitely kinda felt like ass today. However, I did manage to hit the gym (good, long, volume strength workouts…i.e., damage control) before all the activities over the weekend. High bar, rings, and tramp were surprisingly good though…probably due to the fact that I wasn’t in the gym yesterday. The strength workout today was just to get my body going, nothing too strenuous.
Tramp:
- Ballout rudis
- Ballout double fulls – felt pretty good, quick and easy, I’ll try some ballout randis next time
- Front 1 and ¾, ballout double front, ballout barani (combo) – feeling good, getting some quickness back
- Double pike barani outs
Strength:
- SR: kip maltese (spotted) (5sec x 3)
- SR: jump maltese (spotted) (5sec x 2)
- SR: maltese (ring belt) (5sec x 4, -20#)
- SR: cross (5sec x 3, w/ weight vest, 4 inserts)
- SR: cross (8sec x 2, bw)
- PB: straight-straights (2 x 4)
- Maltese DB press (4 x 10, 25# each)
- BB bench (3 x 5, 155#; 3 x 5, 165#; 1 x 10, 135#)
- Jump rope (1min x 4)
- HS hold (1.5min)
Ice: none
Workout time: 2.2hrs
Was headed to the gym earlier in the day, then got called into a meeting which ticked me off pretty good (there’s nothing I hate more than having schedule gym time postponed)…finally got there about 3 hours later. Had a good workout however with good energy. Tramp is feeling good; my awareness and quickness is coming back. Ring strength is also feeling good; it finally feels like I’ve put together a pretty good program that’s not like running through quicksand.
High Bar:
- Warmup (hop halves, quasts, blinds, piros)
- Double quast to one arm (with mat thrown in) – starting to feel more confident/consistent, caught 2/4
- Double layouts, double lay 1/1
- Stalder, stalder fulls (low bar)
Strength:
- Front squats (4 x 5, 135#, 145#, 140#, 135#)
- Clean and press (1 x 4, 135#)
- Deadlifts (quick pulls) (4 x 5, 215#)
- BB rows (4 x 5, 135#)
- Circuit x 2 (no rest btw exs):
- Bulgarian split squats (10 each leg, 25# DBs)
- Stiff-legged DB deadlift (10, 50# DBs)
- Walking lunges (20, 25# DBs)
- Leg lifts (10)
- 1 arm DB snatch (5 each, 50# DB)
- Reverse hypers (10)
- 1 DB farmer’s walk (~100 ft, 50# DB)
- Mat jumps (10, 30”)
- Forward mat (sled) pull, backward mat pull (1 each, 70#)
- Sprint (1, ~80”)
- Jump rope (1min x 4)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Dips (30)
- Shoulder prehab
Ice: right shoulder (AC joint, precautionary)
Workout time: 2.75hrs
I was kinda dead heading in to workout today. However, after I got going, things turned around. High bar was real good. The double quast is coming along nicely and hopefully I can start swinging a one-arm giant out of it soon. I suppose you could say I am shying away from the actual rules that routines are governed by, and am more interested in fun and ‘bag-of-tricks’ types of skills. Dismounts were also good…I am getting some quickness and power back and they are flipping real good. I also didn’t want to do legs today. Again, after I got going, things felt good and I got the job done. Circuits suck, but I needed something more aerobic.
Dan John has said that every 1 in 5 workouts is really good. I think this was one of those 1 in 5 workouts. I was on high bar for about an hour…things were going well and I couldn’t pull myself away. Long live long days in the gym.
I think the atmosphere in the gym was also a contributing factor; the other guys were all working hard and doing some good stuff. I guess I am the old guy in the gym, so I kinda see a division between me and the younger guys. Nonetheless, I feel like there’s a nice symbiotic relationship between us. They all say they like to have me in the gym, and I like working out with them. I wonder who benefits more…me feeding off them, or them feeding off me.
So I’m really glad I did legs on Thursday. Why’s that? Shortly after workout, I was on my friend’s fixed-gear bike, and having never been on one, I forgot the only rule he told me…that is to never stop pedaling. I was crushing a hill when I stopped pedaling; the pedal came around and whacked me in the ankle and gave me a nice wide and deep gash. Long story short, I had to go to the ER and get 4 stitches. The ankle is really stiff and kinda black and blue. Needless to say I won’t be doing legs for a couple weeks at least, and neither will I be doing much swinging for a week or so. The stitches can come out in about 12 days and hopefully I’ll have full range of motion by then too.
Strength:
- SR: [kip L (3sec), planche (5sec), support hold (20sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [kip L (3sec), pike press x 2, straddle press x 1, support hold (10sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [(back kip L (3sec), hollowback press, support hold (10sec)) x 3)] (x 2)
- SR: [back kip HS, 5 handstand pushups, support hold (10sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [muscle up L (3sec), straddle planche (5sec), straddle press (20sec), support hold (20sec)] (x 2)
I am home (MA) for about 6 days, so I went back to my old gym. My ankle is keeping me off any events and tramp, so I’m sticking to upper body strength for a while. Really good workout today too; my endurance and general strength on rings is coming along nicely.
I like coming back to my old gym to show off stuff that I picked up over the previous few months. Usually it’s some tricks on events, and while I have some new ones this time, it looks like they’ll have to debut next time I’m home. Regardless, it’s still fun being the ‘really old guy’ in the gym.
Conversation of the day between a class kid (~7 year old girl) and an instructor:
Girl: Something to the tune of “What’s wrong with him? Why is he so big?” (referring to me working out)
Instructor: “Guys have different stuff inside of them.”
Strength:
- SR: kip maltese (spotted) (4sesc x 5)
- SR: cross hold (5sec x 5, bw)
- SR: cross pull, cross hold (cross machine) (1 pull @ ~1RM and 5sec hold x 5)
- SR: straddle planche (5sec x 2)
- PB: straight-straights (2 x 5)
- PB: dips (8 x 3, 10 year old kid (~70#))
- PB: dips (3 x 2, 15 year old kid (~130#))
- Shoulder prehab
- HS hold (1.5min)
Workout time: 2.2hr
Went back to the old gym again today. Didn’t do any swinging because of my ankle, so I stuck to strength. It’s hard to keep the same ring workouts going to different gyms because of the different equipment. Nonetheless, I got in a good workout, hit the main ingredients, and worked hard. Workout was a little longer than planned; that’s another thing about going back to the old gym…there are lots of little kids around and waiting for them to take turns adds some time. But, those kids do come in handy though…they are great for adding dynamic weight to dips. The ankle is doing better. The stitches are fine and the laceration is healing nicely and I am getting some range of motion back and can walk normally now.
Run:
- ~2 miles on sandy trail w/ ~10# backpack (untimed)
I wasn’t heading down to the gym today so I was itching for some activity with it being about 80 degrees out and beautiful. I ended up going for a light run down a trail that runs along some powerlines. It felt good considering I haven’t done anything that aerobic in about 8 months, and that it was on sand with a pack. The ankle felt good too; I was watching every step pretty carefully and nothing uneventful happened.
Strength:
- SR: [kip L (3sec), planche (5sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [kip L (3sec), pike press x 2, straddle press x 1, hollow support hold (10sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [(back kip L (3sec), hollowback press, hollow support hold (10sec)) x 3)] (x 2)
- SR: [back kip HS, 5 handstand pushups, hollow support hold (10sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [muscle up L (3sec), straddle planche (5sec), straddle press (20sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 2)
- Dips (35)
- Horizontal pull-ups (12 x 3)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Shoulder prehab
Workout time: 1.6hrs
Really hard workout tonight; I think it was mostly due to the fact that I reduced rest times. I finished the ring work and the tri-set stuff in about 24 minutes each. The gym was pretty empty tonight and there were only some team girls around, so it was kinda like workouts that I’m used to. That is, no one around to talk to, just focus and work out.
I can definitely tell I am getting a strong base (i.e., GPP) on rings as my endurance is getting better and strength moves are getting easier. I throw the support holds in there at the end of each turn as it is almost the most basic type of ring strength, so a few seconds here and there add up. I did them a little more hollow today and definitely felt a difference. I’m wondering if this will transfer to maltese strength at all because I have never felt much chest activation during malteses…we’ll find out. The tri-set stuff was damn tough and I was approaching that throwing up feeling, but that might have been the heat. I switched up the rep/set scheme from last time but still got in 50 reps each. All in all, real good workout.
High bar:
- Warmup (hop halves, quasts, blinds, piros) – felt good and quick
- Rybalko to 1 arm el-grip, hop full spin to 1 arm el-grip, hop pirouette – combo from my old routine; not worth much anymore (despite the fact that very few can do it), but fun and flashy
- Stalder full work (low bar)
Strength (upper body):
- SR: maltese (ring belt) (5sec x 6, -25#)
- SR: invert, cross (ring belt) (5sec each x 4, -25#)
- SR: [kip L (3sec), pike press (5sec), back kip L (3 sec), hollowback (5sec), front lever (3 sec)] (x 2)
- PB: [pike press (x 4), straddle press (x 4)] (x 2)
- Rope climb (1 x 2)
- HSPU (10 x 2)
- Dips (35)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Rear delt raises (10 x 4, 10#)
Strength (lower body):
- Single leg ¼ squat (10 each x 2, bw)
- Step-ups (10 x 2, bw)
- 2 DB walking lunges (24 x 2, 20# each)
- 2 DB stiff-legged deadlifts (12 x 2, 50# each)
- Ankle theraband rehab
Ice: right shoulder (AC joint), left ankle
Workout time: 2.5hrs
I am back in Michigan and it was definitely nice to get back in the gym with the guys. I swung a little high bar, which felt good after not swinging for a week or so, but stuck to simpler, more technical skills so I didn’t have to land hard with my ankle. I needed a little ‘get going’ workout so I did a lighter full-body strength workout. The lower body stuff was very light because my ankle still doesn’t have full range of motion (though it’s close). My AC joint was a little sore, which is probably due to the weighted dips the other day and the 1 arm work on high bar today. I suppose the dips are avoidable, but the 1 arm stuff is too damn fun.
I can definitely tell I have some compensatory mechanism going on with my left leg due to my ankle; well that and a little loss of leg strength from trying to stay off of the leg for a week. It felt good to do some light leg strength today and attempt to get some normal activation. I was thinking of just doing the rehab-type stuff on just my left (involved) leg, but then tried it with the other leg. I think it was a good think, because after doing some of the exercises, I could definitely tell that I had different activation patterns between the two legs. In doing the rehab with my uninvolved leg, I could tell what I should be shooting for, and then tried to mimic that with the involved leg. This once again reaffirms something I have learned in the past few years…your body tells you things, but only if you listen.
Strength:
- SR: maltese (ring belt) (4sec x 9, -20#) – last 2 higher for better chest activation
- SR: cross (5sec x 3, w/ weight vest, 6 inserts)
- SR: cross (6sec x 2, bw)
- PB: straight-straights (2 x 4)
- Maltese DB press (4 x 5, 30# each)
- BB bench (3 x 5, 165#)
- BB close-grip bench (3 x 5, 145#; 1 x 10, 135#)
- HS hold (1.5min)
Ice: right shoulder (precautionary)
Workout time: 1.75hrs
Good workout today. It was the first real ring strength day after going home for a week and I actually felt pretty strong, not heavy/weak on anything really. Malteses and crosses are coming along; maybe by the end of the summer I’ll have a solid maltese on my own and a full cross pull…that would be nice. The bench work is feeling good too and I am really starting to think that is contributing to some maltese strength. I am almost thinking having a day where I do bench work first, then some supplemental ring strength…hmm.
I was at my friend’s house all yesterday landscaping, moving dirt, rocks, and trees…all good stuff. I definitely felt work and realize how much a sedentary job (e.g., student) diminishes your work capacity. I use to do tons of work outside when I was at home during grade school and high school, and I really do miss that. Hopefully this summer I can get out a little more and do some real work.
The ankle is feeling really good. I think yesterday with all the moving around actually helped it a lot. I taped it up really good and it felt pretty strong throughout the day. Working around the yard exposed it to some true functional stability exercises…walking on unstable dirt and grass, moving and stretching in all directions. It’s not sore today at all and I can go up stairs completely normal now. I have almost full range of motion compared to the uninvolved side, so I’ll keep working on that in addition to getting back some strength.
Just realized I never defined my set/rep lingo. So, 10 x 4 would be 4 sets of 10.
Strength:
- Deadlifts (quick pulls) (5 x 5, 215#)
- Clean and press (4 x 4, 115#)
- BB rows (10 x 4, 115#)
- 2 DB walking lunges (20 x 5, 35# DBs)
- Circuit x 3 (no rest btw exs or circuits):
- Bulgarian split squats (12 each leg, 12# DBs)
- Stiff-legged DB deadlift (12, 35# DBs)
- Leg lifts (12)
- 1 arm DB snatch (6 each, 35# DB)
- Reverse hypers (12)
- 2 DB farmer’s walk (~120 ft, 35s# DB)
- Dips (35)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Shoulder prehab
Ice: left ankle
Workout time: 1.5hrs
I was at a job orientation for about 8.5 hours today, sitting and listening to people talk. Sitting and staying in one place drives me nuts and starts to hurt my back after a while. Fortunately one day of sitting didn’t aggravate anything…aside from my mental state. The whole day kinda drained me for workout. But, like usual, once I got in the gym and got going, the lethargy took a back seat and I had plenty of energy.
Workout was good. It was the first day back to some real leg strength. I still have the stitches in, and it’s still a little stiff at the end ranges of motion, but I taped it up and it did well. I modified a few exercises and the circuits to accommodate the ankle, but still got in a good workout.
My numbers may seem a little low in terms of leg strength. I have found that this intensity of workout is sufficient to keep my back and legs healthy and strong without taking so much out of me that my gymnastics-type workouts are hindered. Sure, I would love to go all out on deadlifts at some point, but currently I have to set aside my ego and make those numbers wait…which is pretty tough mentally.
HB:
- Warmup (hop halves, blinds, piros)
- Kovacs – swing felt good, good distance on 2/5 for catch
- WGEP, stalder fulls
- Half-tak work (low bar) – getting the feel of this skill a little now, hopefully do a little more next time with a spot
SR:
- Back lockarms
- Inlocate, front lockarm – surprisingly good considering I’ve never really had this and haven’t tried these in about 3 months
- Dips (35)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Shoulder prehab
Had another orientation session in the morning which killed my energy for workout again. But, also again, I woke up pretty well once I got going in the gym. High bar felt good as it was the first day I was really swinging since the ankle injury. The kovacs felt good, but I was a little weary of catching and also missing and landing. I didn’t really worry about catching today, just getting back the feel of the skill more than anything. Rings felt real good too. I think the last time I really swung was over 3 weeks ago, but everything comes back like riding a bike.
I got the stitches out today. The laceration is a little open at the ends, but it’s doing well. The ankle feels good after leg strength yesterday and the range of motion is still improving with less and less to get back. I bounced a little tramp today and did some short landings just to test it out. I am compensating on those things, but then again, it was the first day testing that out.
Real good dinner tonight too. I called it the Mexican Taco-less salad: ground turkey with taco seasoning, red and green peppers, tomato, onion, cole slaw cabbage, avocado, salsa, Tabasco, cheddar cheese, and black pepper and cilantro to season.
Strength:
- SR: [kip L (3sec), planche (5sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [kip L (3sec), pike press x 2, straddle press x 1, hollow support hold (10sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [(back kip L (3sec), hollowback press) x 4, hollow support hold (10sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [muscle up L (3sec), straddle planche (5sec), straddle press (20sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 2)
- SR: maltese (ring belt) (6sec x 5, -25#)
- SR: invert, cross (ring belt) (6sec each x 3, -25#)
I added another back kip, hollowback to the second sequence, and wow, it got me pretty tired for those turns. I took out the ring HSPU, not because I was dead from the other stuff, but because they really didn’t serve a purpose, and because I could spend the energy elsewhere. It was a lighter day for malteses, inverts, and crosses, all of which felt real good…good position and control. Everything else felt good despite being pretty tired…again. Tomorrow’s a day off, kinda because I am pretty sore, but more because I am a little unmotivated right now. One day out of the gym usually cures the latter and I can work through the former.
HB:
- Warmup (hop halves, blinds, piros)
- Kovacs – felt really good, caught 2 of 6
- WGEP, stalder fulls – real good and quick
SR:
- Back lockarms
- Inlocate, front lockarm
Strength:
- SR: [muscle up (6), L straddle press, HS hold (20sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 1)
- 2 DB walking lunges (30 x 1, 25#s)
- PB: [pike press (5), straddle press (4)] (x 1)
- 2 DB SLDL (20 x 1, 50#s)
- Pullups (12 x 1)
- Leg lifts (15 x 1)
- HSPU (12 x 1)
- Reverse hypers (20 x 1)
- Dips (35 x 1)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Shoulder prehab
Workout time: 1.75hrs
Had a real good ‘lunch break’ workout today. Staying out of the gym yesterday got my head back in the game, and really got me going to get after the kovacs again after a somewhat dismal day earlier in the weak. The swing and awareness is coming back in that I can really start to play with the skill again. On the first 4, I was getting my bearings, then caught the next 2 real easy. Oh yeah, here is a kovacs (that video isn’t me); it’s the first skill, the flippy-do over the bar...but I do it way better. The second is a gienger; I do that too, but from one arm. Also did a quick strength workout just to get my body going after the day off. Everything was pretty easy and everything only took about 12 minutes. In and out pretty quick (ok, not that quick) with a good workout…badda-bing, badda-boom.
Good workout today. Increased (or decreased for malteses) weight on a few things, all of which felt pretty strong. I think I’m at the point where I have to start testing out the malteses by myself. I’ll fail for a while, but then, out of nowhere, I’ll have a good day and hold one. The shoulders felt good even with the heavier bench workout which used to really rack them for a few days.
Sitting down a lot during the week is really starting to get to my back. I really needed to jump on the foam roller, and it definitely felt good and bad (in a hurts-so-good kind of way). I think in order to stay relatively pain-free, I’ll have to throw in some re/prehab stuff, keep up with the foam rolling, and try to stay as active as possible. Well, that or dump the desk job…hmm.
Good leg workout today. I was completely uninhibited by my ankle; it is still only a little stiff in the end ranges of motion, so I’m still easing into landings and tramp. My leg workouts are turning into longer volume days, and not exactly the maintenance program I intended them to be. Oddly enough though, I find myself not too motivated to do legs as much as in the past, however once I get going, things kinda snowball and the volume piles up. I think the lack of motivation is because I am doing more and more actual gymnastics, so my focus is slightly shifted. I guess I am just playing in the gym right now in terms of gymnastics, but maybe if I were to establish gymnastics-specific goals I’d have an easier time accepting a lower volume leg maintenance program. As you can tell, I need to figure out my priorities because I am quite confused.
HB:
- Warmup (hop halves, blinds, piros) – feeling dead/loose…good predictor of workout
- Dbl lay 1/1 – easy, good wait on twist
- Dbl lay 2/1 – did 1 and struggled, too fatigued to do more…went back to dbl lay 1/1
- Half-tak (low bar, spotted) – better pull, getting a good feel of the skill
SR:
- Back lockarms
- Inlocate, front lockarm – okay considering I was dead
Tramp:
- Ball-outs
- Ball-out rudis
- HS hold (2min)
- Shoulder prehab
Workout time: 1.66hrs
Wow. If today’s workout isn’t enough to get me to limit my leg workouts, I don’t know what is. I was definitely dead today, keeping tight was a struggle, being quick was close to impossible. But, any day in the gym is a good day. I managed to get some good things done and make progress (albeit baby steps) here and there. I did a dismount from rings and bounced some real tramp today, and my ankle didn’t twang a bit.
Strength:
- SR: [kip L (3sec), planche (5sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [kip L (3sec), pike press x 2, straddle press x 1, hollow support hold (10sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [(back kip L (3sec), hollowback press) x 4, hollow support hold (10sec)] (x 2)
- SR: [muscle up L (3sec), straddle planche (5sec), straddle press (20sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 2)
- SR: maltese (ring belt) (6sec x 5, -25#)
- SR: invert, cross (ring belt) (6sec each x 5, -25#)
- Rope climb (no legs) (1.75 x 2)
- HSPU (15 x 2)
- Dips (40)
- Horizontal pull-ups (20 x 2)
- Jump rope (1min x 2)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Shoulder prehab
Workout time: 1.75hrs
What a difference a day makes. My body was pretty much completely recovered and I was eager to get in the gym. Got in around 6AM, threw on some Linkin Park, and had a real good workout. Things are heading in the right direction; I feel like I’m getting stronger on almost everything. Still, I could probably cut down the volume…might switch things up a bit for June.
HB:
- Warmup (hop halves, blinds, piros) – feeling tired, not loose like earlier in weak though
- Kovacs – good day on these; caught only 2/5, but more importantly I consciously made some good changes and I know where the bar is while I’m in the air now
- WREP, quast, blind-piro, dbl lay – good small sequence, adding more stuff next time
- Stalder fulls (low bar) – did one really good one at the end; realized that this skill is limited by my wrist inflexibility
SR:
- Back lockarms
- Inlocate, front lockarm – getting better
- Back-uprise planche – good position (level), no real hold though
Light strength:
- 2 DB walking lunges (24 x 2, 35# DBs)
- 2 DB SLDL (20 x 2, 50# DBs)
- Leg lifts (12 x 2)
- Dips (40 x 1)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Shoulder prehab
Workout time: 1.75hr
I was a little dead heading into workout today and even through my high bar warmup. Not like tired from a previous workout, but just general lethargy. I was planning on doing some kovacs which you can’t really half-ass safely, so I needed some energy. So, I got some energy. Though I missed the first two, I knew how far I was from the bar and what threw me over. On the next few I made some good changes and caught 2. Less luck…more me. Did some light leg strength just to counter all the sitting I’ve been doing lately; it felt good and won’t kill me for tomorrow’s workout.
I am starting to wonder if my tiredness is due to a calorie deficit. I think I might try eating more. Hmm.
HB:
- Warmup (hop halves, blinds, piros)
- Dbl-lay
- Dbl-dbl – good flipping power, slightly arched and head out during twist
Strength:
- SR: kip maltese (spotted) (4sec x 6)
- SR: cross (4sec x 3, w/ weight vest, 10 inserts)
- SR: cross (7sec x 2, bw)
- SR: straddle planche (5sec x 2)
- PB: straight-straights (2 x 4)
- Maltese DB press (5 x 4, 30# each)
- BB bench (5 x 3, 175#)
- BB close-grip bench (4, 5, 5, 160#; 15 x 1, 135#)
- HS hold (100sec)
- Shoulder prehab
Workout time: 2.3hrs
Had a nice quick high bar workout today. Only did some dismounts because I needed a redemption day from earlier in the week. It was nice getting to the gym and being motivated and not too tired, which makes me wonder if it’s partially because I knew I’d have a shorter high bar workout. Anyway, the dismounts were okay; they flipped real well, though the twist was a little arched…something I’ve always had a problem with on dbl-dbls. Strength was also good; had great energy and intensity on everything.
My shoulders are doing well, not hurting on anything except for high-stress high bar skills. Two years ago, I could barely do pushups or ring dips because of a grade II AC joint dislocation. I’ve been fortunate to successfully rehab it back to health, and am to the point now where I can push it without worrying if it will crack under pressure. I do feel it every now and then, but it’s nothing that lingers. I realize my strength program right now isn’t exactly balanced in terms of push/pull exercises. I kinda designed it that way as I’ve tried a more balanced approach and wanted to compare the strength gains and see if my shoulder could take it. So far, so good. My strength is increasing and my shoulder is doing well.
Whoa Gatti!! I stop posting for a month and you start a training journal! Glad to see you posting. Very motivating. Too motivating actually...now I want to get back into the gym and start swinging. Let me know the next time you're back in MA, I'd enjoy meeting up with you in Sterling.
Congratulations on graduating. What's the plan now, job or higher degree?
Great log. Have fun and take it easy on the shoulder.
Thanks for checking out the log. Yeah, the gym is contageous, isn't it? I have found that the hardest part about training is not training.
I won't be back in MA for a while; definitely for Thanksgiving and maybe in the early fall. But sure, meeting up would be cool.
I am working for the Orthopaedic Reserach Lab at the U of Michigan. I had a research appointment in the same lab during grad school and am on full-time now.
How's your shoulder doing? Is it getting any better?
I was exhausted last night and was falling asleep by around 8:15. I was also pretty dead and not motivated as I got to the gym this today. But, I really felt like I needed some activity with all the sitting.
I made it a half-volume day, cutting most of the sets in half. It was a good thing too because the deadlifts felt heavy and the cleans were slow, but I got through everything. I got the idea from one of those tips of the days on T-Nation from Jason Ferrugia that said that most people do too much volume and they could benefit by greatly reducing how much they do. I started doing half-volume workouts around the third or fourth week of the month since January. It was a good way to somewhat recover without staying completely out of the gym. I also found, and maybe more importantly, that when I only did half of the volume I was used to, I was more focused and more committed to each and every rep. I wonder if the increased mental intensity is related to the central governor theory, which, with respect to this case, says that you limit yourself when you know you have a lot to do. It’s pretty interesting and something I have to read more about.
Did I get more out of those half-volume workouts? I don’t know, but that’s a really good question. I suppose I could devote a whole month to half-volume workouts to test it out. I am trying to figure out my workout plan for next month, so maybe I’ll try to work this in.
HB:
- Warmup
- Kovacs – another really good day on these, again really aware of where the bar is, caught 2/5 (touched on all of them)
- Yamawaki (vault catch) – first day on these which actually felt pretty good
- Half-tak (low bar)
- 10 skill GPP sequence (skill values, in sequence = B, C, C x 2, B x 2, B, A, A, C)
SR:
- Warmup
- 8 skill GPP sequence (skill values, in sequence = B, B, A, A, A, B, B, B)
- Kip maltese (spotted) (4sec x 2)
Light strength:
- Dips (40 x 1)
- Horizontal pullups (20 x 2)
- HS hold (2min)
- Shoulder prehab
Workout time: 2.2hr
With the holiday today, I got in with the team earlier in the day (10AM) than I’m used to (for a swing workout at least). It was amazing how much more energy I had; skills were easier and I didn’t die halfway through workout. Maybe it was a combination of things: the earlier time, the fact that I didn’t work for 7 hours before, the day off yesterday, or the atmosphere of having a full gym with about 13 guys all working out. (As much as I may not want to admit it, it may have been mostly the day off). Whatever it was, it worked. It’s funny to realize that that is how my summers were for so long. As the saying goes, you never know what you have until you no longer have it.
High bar was awesome. I am definitely getting back into my old form, quick and nimble, however not there yet. The kovacs were all really good despite only catching 2 of 5. I knew exactly what was wrong on the bad ones and knew where the bar was on all of them. On the second one I caught, I did a timer for a triple back over the bar (direct connection from the kovacs) where I just fly over the bar but don’t really flip. It’s probably the most fun skill I’ve ever done; you see the bar shrink as you throw yourself into the air and then fall about 16 feet into the pit. Woohoo.
I started doing a vault catch variation (another skill I’ve never played around with) and all of the turns were pretty promising. A few of the guys are working this too so that’ll make for some good friendly competition. I was thinking about getting a spot on the half-taks, then decided to just do them. They were okay, probably comparable to how I was doing them with a spot the other day. This got me thinking about whether, in general for skills that require a spot, it may be better to get spotted every other workout, rather than spotted every workout until you can do a skill and then suddenly without a spot. There may not be as big of a ‘no safety net’ factor to stress about if the spot isn’t always there to begin with. Hmm. I added some sequences in there for some GPP (okay, maybe SPP). They were basic skills just to get in some volume and a frame for a routine; they tired me out but felt good.
Rings was also pretty good. I didn’t do much swinging because one of my calluses was about to split open. Instead I just did some GPP sequences with most of the routine requirements. Both sequences felt pretty good. The kip malteses were really good; had good position and kipping action and the holds felt strong.
I miss days like this. I suppose as long as I have them once in a while, that’s enough to keep me coming back. Have a nice Memorial Day.
Nice. Your "starving student" days are over. Is this a place you can see yourself working at for several years?
Quote:
How's your shoulder doing? Is it getting any better?
It's two steps forward, one step back. Muscle endurance is improving and the "good" days are getting more frequent, however it doesn't take much get back to a "bad" day. I've given shoulder rehab my undivided attention this past month, to the detriment of the rest of my body. Time to get a plan together for some training. Your training journal might just be the inspiration I needed.
Strength:
- SR: [kip L (3sec), planche (5sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 1)
- SR: [kip L (3sec), pike press x 3, hollow support hold (10sec)] (x 1)
- SR: [(back kip L (3sec), hollowback press) x 4, hollow support hold (10sec)] (x 1)
- SR: [muscle up L (3sec), straddle planche (5sec), straddle press (20sec), hollow support hold (20sec)] (x 1)
- SR: maltese (ring belt) (6sec x 4, -22.5#)
- SR: invert, cross (ring belt) (6sec each x 4, -22.5#)
- Rope climb (no legs) (2 x 1)
- HSPU (18 x 1)
- Dips (40)
- Horizontal pull-ups (10 x 2)
- Jump rope (1min x 4)
- HS hold (1.5min)
- Shoulder prehab
- Wrist prehab
Workout time: 1.6hrs
Really good half-volume day (er, modified half-volume day) today; probably due to the combination of being pretty well recovered and the focus and intensity (from the half-volume mindset). Of particular note, the planche on rings was cake (never had a good planche), finally did 3 pike presses in a row on rings, banged out 18 HSPU (haven’t done that many in a few years), and completed 2 rope climbs in 1 turn. Okay, maybe I could do some of that because I wasn’t exhausted from previous exercises. I had some time left over so I added some extra, and needed, shoulder and wrist prehab and a little more rope.
More thoughts on the half-volume concept… I have never been good at leaving ‘something in the hole’ at the end of a workout; more often than not, I ended up erring on the side of killing myself. With these half-volume workouts, they seem to stimulate/energize me more than put me into a comma that takes 3 days to recover from. In addition to the physical feelings, they provide a mental boost as I get a good sense of accomplishment and it makes me think that I am not over-the-hill and that there are better things to come.
I am still wondering if I get more out of these workouts than my usual workouts. To answer this though, I think the goal must be considered, and then determine which program is better aligned with that goal. What is my goal? In a general sense, to get strong, but that’s not specific enough to answer the volume question. I would have to think about this a bit, but I guess when I initially made up this program I was intending to increase my general strength and work capacity, and the full-volume suited me well. But now that I have a good deal of general strength, I need to redefine my goals, and then modify my program. Two days til June…better hurry up and figure things out.
Nice. Your "starving student" days are over. Is this a place you can see yourself working at for several years?
It could be, although I'm really not sure. I don't know exactly what I want to do right now, so I hope I can figure that out in the next year or so. Grad school kept me very busy, and I found that I couldn't figure out my life at the same time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hard_rox
It's two steps forward, one step back. Muscle endurance is improving and the "good" days are getting more frequent, however it doesn't take much get back to a "bad" day. I've given shoulder rehab my undivided attention this past month, to the detriment of the rest of my body. Time to get a plan together for some training. Your training journal might just be the inspiration I needed.
The two things that helped my shoulder the most were to stop doing the things that hurt it and to do lots of rehab/prehab. I'd go insane if I had to stick to only rehab, so I had to figure out other exercises that would give me the feeling like I was actually accomplishing something. Kudos to you for getting through a month though. Easing back into your regular stuff is key too. It was hard, but checking my ego at the door and putting health first was definitely beneficial. Glad to see you are still motivated to get back to training.
Gatti's log
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